Stolen Vegan Tomato Soup

My friend, Leslie made this soup for me one night a few weeks ago. I snagged the recipe and made a big batch last night. I am no food critic, but I know good food and this is the best tomato soup I have ever had.

To blend hot food so that it doesn't erupt and burn you, do not fill blender more than a third full. I only did two ladles of soup at a time. For extra precaution place a towel over blender and hold firmly over lid. Turn on blender at its lowest speed and increase speed after it is blended a bit.

Stolen Vegan Tomato Soup

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of chopped onion
1/4 cup of chopped celery
1 leek white and green- chopped
3 cups organic veggie broth
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes-chopped
3-14oz cans diced tomatoes
1- 8 oz can of tomato sauce
2 springs of fresh thyme
1 cup almond milk or other non-dairy milk product
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
fresh ground pepper

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and leek and saute until soft, about 8 -10 minutes. Add vegetable broth, sun-dried tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook 20 minutes.

Remove thyme stems and discard. Puree soup in a blender, adding only a few ladles at a time. (see notes above) Pour into a second bowl until complete. Pour all the blended soup back in the saucepan and stir in milk, vinegar and pepper and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Serves six.

I also added fresh chopped basil to my batch.
Delish!

Skin Deep- Cosmetic Safety Reviews

Many of us don't give a second thought to our daily beauty routine--cleansing our face, moisturizing our bodies, applying makeup, or painting our nails. But it may surprise you that the average adult is exposed to more than 168 synthetic chemicals each day from personal-care products.

Chemicals such as phthalates, mineral oils, sodium lauryl sulphate, propylene glycol, and parabens are all commonly used in cosmetics. Many have known or suspected links to serious health problems like cancer, infertility, birth defects, and hormone disruption.

Part of the problem is that, unlike food or drugs, cosmetics come under little government regulation. In North America, government bodies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration don't have the power to approve or regulate most cosmetic ingredients. As a result, manufacturers can use virtually any ingredient in their products without having to conduct any pre-market safety testing.

Recently, nonprofit organizations like the Environmental Working Group have begun conducting studies looking at chemicals in makeup and hair and skin products. Among other things, it's found that more than one in five personal-care products contain chemicals linked to cancer; 45 percent have ingredients reported to be potentially harmful to reproductive systems and/or fetal development, and 60 percent have ingredients that can act like estrogen and disrupt hormones.

That isn't to say all synthetic chemicals are harmful or dangerous, or that all products that include them should be avoided. It's just that there is a lack of conclusive long-term safety information, and for our health, we should try to be as informed, knowledgeable, and smart as possible. We can't possibly eliminate all of our exposure to synthetic chemicals. But we can certainly make choices that can reduce it.

Many people have begun to "green" their beauty routines to reduce their exposure to potentially harmful chemicals, buying products containing fewer of them. It's easy, and in most cases it's as simple as choosing Product B instead of Product A.

Please check out Skin Deep's safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products, brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group. There is a search box where you can enter your personal care items and see the toxicity levels on a scale of 1-10.

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/


Here is what I found out about some of the products I use:

Lipstick - Level 7

Mascara - Level 5

Foundation - Level 4

Shampoo/Conditioner - Level 5

Facial Wash - Level 8 - NEUTROGENA OIL-FREE CLEANSER

Body lotion - Level 8 - BATH & BODY WORKS


BATH & BODY WORKS JAPANESE CHERRY BLOSSOM BODY LOTION

Ingredients in this product are linked to:
Cancer
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
Allergies/immunotoxicity
Use restrictions
Other concerns for ingredients used in this product:

Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Miscellaneous, Multiple, additive exposure sources, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Enhanced skin absorption, Contamination concerns, Occupational hazards, Biochemical or cellular level changes.



They didn't have my perfumes, but I found some similar and they were 7 and 8's.

Dior Addict 2 Perfume by Christian Dior- not found (but did find Dune and it was an 8)
Allure Sensuelle by Chanel - not found (did find COCO and it was an 8)

So what am I suppose to wear now, rose or lavender oil? What if I just spray it on my clothes instead of my skin? I promise not to breathe for 8 seconds and leave the room. Hmm.. That could be a compromise.
:-)

Good luck and have fun with it.

Raw Corn and Black Bean Salad

Raw Corn and Black Bean Salad

1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup diced bell peppers
2 cups of fresh corn on the cob*
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 cups of black beans- rinsed and drained
1 cup of fresh diced tomatoes- undrained*
1/4 cup of chopped green scallions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup of fresh made Italian dressing*

1. The only other prep work for this dish is the corn. You will need to remove the husks and cut off the ends of the corn. Hold the corn vertically on a cutting board and with a knife slide down the length of the corn and remove all niblets. Add to a large bowl.

2. Add all other ingredients to bowl of corn.

3. Top with Italian dressing, mix into veggies. This is great right after you prepare it, but it's AWESOME the next day. If your making it for a party, make it the night before.

4. I used avocado to top mine, but if you like, you can top with sour cream or whatever you like.

**This can be served cold or hot. I eat it cold since I am eating it as a raw meal. You can also use canned corn & tomatoes if you're not so crazy about it being raw. Obviously you can also use processed dressing as well. It's great with tortilla chips, in a lettuce wrap, in a pita pocket or all by itself.
Hope you try it soon!
Let me know what you think!